AIS for iPhone?

[dennisail]

Marine Traffic for iPhone & iPad - Real time information for ships and ports

Will this work offshore away from cell phone reception? How does it receive the data?

[Dame.n.Jess]

I have a version of this "Ship Finder" not made by the same people but it is junk. Buy the real deal, save you $5 at the app store.

[dennisail]

This one is called "marine traffic" I am not sure but it looks like they have been around since before iphone apps. My friend just got it for his iphone and thinks its great...

Browse the map with real-time ships positions based on Automatic Identification System (AIS),

I assume it works via the internet sending AIS info gathered by a 3rd party and will not work offshore. The ihpone would have to pick up VHF for it to work offshore wouldn't it? Sounds like a good little program for coastal work. Not that you would rely on it.

[dennisail]

Will this receiver work with opencpn? Or do I need extra hardware and software?

Nauticast AIS Dual Channel Receiver

[GPSNavX]

The DigitalYacht iAIS works great with iPhone/iPad/iPod touch..

Digital Yacht iAIS

Requires no cell or internet connection to function.

[jackdale]

Marine traffic is not real time.

Notices: Vessel positions may be up to one hour old or incomplete. Data is provided for informational reasons only and is not related by any means to the safety of navigation.

It is more of a toy

Can the web-published information be used to enhance safety at sea?
Not at all! This is not the intention of this system. Data provided can only be used by Internet users for informational reasons only and they are by no means related to safety of navigation. Information provided may be incomplete, obsolete or contain errors and cannot substitute the on-board safety equipment and of course the good seamanship.

Yes - I have it on my phone.

[ChannelIslander]

marinetraffic.com is an excellent site/organization. You don't need their app for your iPhone; you can connect to their website for free in your phone's browser. I've been using it for a while and it's very accurate. Provides timestamps for data so you know if it's out of date.

Of course it only works while your phone has reception of your data plan.

[ChannelIslander]

Originally Posted by GPSNavX

The DigitalYacht iAIS works great with iPhone/iPad/iPod touch..

Digital Yacht iAIS

Requires no cell or internet connection to function.

This model requires its own power supply connection . . . there's one from West Marine that gets its power via USB from the PC .... http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...classNum=50183

any thoughts on that aspect?

[GPSNavX]

iPad does not have a way to connect to USB devices (other than cameras). Bluetooth or WiFi are the options and so far WiFi is the only way to connect an AIS receiver.

Several options over WiFi ..

Connecting to NMEA data over WiFi

[dennisail]

ChannelIslander.

When you say it requires it own power supply. Is that just a simple 12V? If so that's not a big deal.

Here is a schematic where it shows it hooked to a laptop and chartplotter plus NMEA0813 device. There is no explanation. What is this NMEA device and do you need it to connect to a laptop?

Also once you have the signal to the laptop. What software can you use it with? IS it compatible with opencpn?

[dennisail]

Originally Posted by GPSNavX

The DigitalYacht iAIS works great with iPhone/iPad/iPod touch..

Digital Yacht iAIS

Requires no cell or internet connection to function.

I don't actually have an Iphone. I was thinking of getting one if the AIS and marine GPS actually worked. (I would not be using the iphone as primary navigated but as an extra).

When I linked the actuall AIS receiver I meant I would use it instead of (not along with) the iphone. I would connect it to my laptop.

[barnakiel]

No it will not. But there is an iPhone software that displays AIS objects over the chart offline too.

b.

[ChannelIslander]

Hi DennisSail,

In the schematic the "NMEA device" is any other device you may have that reads NMEA, like maybe an autopilot, chartplotter, multiplexer, etc. It's optional.

The AIS receiver parses the AIS data into NMEA "sentences" . . . these can be read by any "NMEA device" which would include a software package that speaks NMEA and runs on a laptop. There are many of 'em. OpenCPN displays AIS data beautifully as ships with tracks and their Closest Point of Approach to you marked clearly. Of course this assumes you are also feeding GPS data about your own ship to the software. This can mean that you need an NMEA "mulitplexer" to combine the NMEA streams, or sometimes not, like if you have a USB GPS antenna and a USB AIS receiver and two USB ports on your laptop.

Hope this helps

Nick

[dennisail]

Nick. Big help.

I am familiar with opencpn for chartplotting and I use USB GPS. So if I just plug in the USB AIS reciver, I can have both AIS and chartplotting up on my opencpn screen?